Post: The Crucial Piece – What Makes A Service Dog Trainer?

It’s always a little risky to get into a “no true Scotsman” debate, but service dog trainers all agree on this:

If a “service dog trainer” doesn’t know how to adjust training styles to match the disability, then they are not qualified to train dogs for that disability.

They may know how to train a dog to sniff out gluten, or to open a door, or to fetch your phone… but if they don’t know how to do it from a wheelchair, or with one hand tied behind their back… how can they train a dog for a wheelchair user?

It’s a sad story we have seen many times – people come to us with their dog who was trained by a “service dog trainer” who was really a pet dog/sport dog/military dog trainer who had branched out. 

A dog trained for someone in a motorized wheelchair – who was clearly trained by someone who walked, instead of rolling, and who used leash corrections that the target client could never do. The dog didn’t know how to safely navigate doorways with a wheelchair, or how to position themselves in ways that work for a wheelchair user. 

Or a dog trained for someone with PTSD… except the dog was accustomed to constant guidance and confident leadership… and would fall apart without that structure in place. 

Then there are the trainers who charge money only to tell someone to be less disabled, because they don’t know how to adjust training style to accommodate a disability, or how to recognize when the dog’s temperament simply is not suited to what is being asked of them. 

A service dog trainer should understand that not all dogs can assist with all disabilities and recognize an incompatible temperament. 

They Should Understand The Disability They Are Working With

If you want to train allergen detection dogs, you had better have a thorough understanding of allergic conditions, the ways they can be triggered, and how to avoid it. Don’t feed gluten based treats to a dog whose target user has a severe reaction to gluten – even a lick from their dog could cause problems. 

If you want to train dogs for people in wheelchairs, you need to know how to maneuver in and out of a doorway in a wheelchair. You need to know how to transfer on and off of a toilet without using your legs. You need to know how to control a dog even when your arms are tied to the arm rests of the power chair. 

And yes, service dog schools teach these things to their trainers.

Trainer Carol Millman has been spoon-fed her lunch by her boss in a mall cafeteria with both hands tied to her arm rests and her chest lashed to the back of the wheelchair to simulate quadriplegia.

If you want to understand it, experiencing it is best. 

If you are looking for a service dog provider, they should be able to speak knowledgeably about your disability and understand your struggles. They should be willing to listen and be able to suggest alternatives when something isn’t working for you. 

Service Dog Trainers Should Be Able To Answer These Questions:

“How would I do this if I couldn’t bend down?” or “how would I do this if my fingers didn’t work”? 

When a client’s fingers can’t manage a buckle, are you willing to alter your stance on martingales? Do you have alternative brands you can recommend that use different types of attachment? 

If you are working with populations who suffer mental illness, including anxiety or paranoia or trauma, do you know how to work with these people without further traumatizing them or putting them into a situation they aren’t prepared for? 

Do you have the ability to recognize signs that your client’s anxiety is rising, and that they need to take a break? When you’re in IKEA with a client who has claustrophobia, do you make a point of telling them where the exits are and how to leave easily with every new room you walk into?

Can you talk a panicking client through a box breathing exercise? Can you discuss how their heart rate affects their dog without blaming them for their own disability?

Do you know how heat affects people with MS?

Do you understand ME/CFS well enough to know not to encourage them to exercise?

Because understanding the disability is STEP 1 to learning to train service dogs.

It is a learning journey that never ends. Continuing education involves following disability news, and listening to disability advocates.

The trainer should follow Deaf influencers, influencers in wheelchairs, influencers with allergies, influencer with MS… learn from them. Listen. 

One needs to understand disability in order to work with disabled populations, and to select and train dogs to assist with those same disabilities. 

Without that… they’re a dog trainer offering services they aren’t qualified to provide.